After more than a year of training, 24 Vietnamese Sepak takraw athletes are ready for their matches at the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) to be held next month, eyeing at least one gold medal in the female’s category.
About 150 athletes from eight nations – Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines – have been registered for the sport.
Le Thanh Son, who is in charge of the sport at the Vietnam Sports Administration, said in the past two years, due to COVID-19 impacts, the young Vietnamese athletes could not participate in any international competitions.
According to him, Southeast Asia is home to the world's strongest teams, of which Thailand takes the lead because it is the origin of Sepak takraw. In addition, there is a strong rise of regional teams such as Myanmar, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
SEA Games 31 is the first international competition opportunity for the team, and high determination is in place for a gold medal in the women’s category.
Femal team's head coach Tran Thi Vui said they are strong at attacking, with veteran members showing great experience and enthusiasm and young athletes having good physique and technique.
The male squad consists of Dau Van Hoang, Nguyen Hoang Lan, and Nguyen Manh Tuan, who won the bronze medal at the Asian Games. However, they have a little chance to become the champion as their Thai, Malaysian, Myanmar, and Indonesian rivals are too strong.
Upcoming Sepak takraw events will take place at the Hoang Mai Gymnasium in the Hanoi district of the same name.
Vietnam’s female sepak takraw team on September 1 cannot make a surprise against the defending champion Thailand at the women’s quadrant finals of the Asian Games (ASIAD) 2018, thus only bringing home a silver medal.
Vietnam’s female Sepak Takraw team on August 25 won a silver medal after they were defeated by the Myanmar team in the quadrant finals at the ongoing 29th SEA Games in Malaysia.
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